


The Good Doctor

by Josephi



Category: RWBY, Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: evil jonathan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24432421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josephi/pseuds/Josephi
Summary: Dr. Jonathan Reid, after becoming the scourge of England, is transported to Remnant by someone calling itself a Watcher. But Jonathan will not just survive, but thrive in this new environment. None shall stop him as he secretly feasts upon the blood of both Human and Faunus. For he is an Ekon, superior to all.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	1. A New Job Opportunity

Dr. Jonathan Reid awoke with a start. He couldn't concentrate, however. He was absolutely famished, like he hadn't fed in months. He stumbled through darkened streets, searching for blood. He found it in the form of two people in an alley. It looked like one was beating up another, but he couldn't really tell. He took out his ax and slowly crept up on the man from behind. They were both shouting, but it sounded extremely muffled, and he couldn't make out what they were saying.

After getting close enough, he swung his ax horizontally, aiming for the neck. The axe struck true, decapitating the man. The other man cried out, but he was quickly silenced when Jonathan grabbed his shoulder and head, pulling his head to the side to expose his neck. He opened his mouth, revealing his wicked fangs, and bit down on the exposed jugular. He drained the man completely of blood, before letting him drop to the ground.

" _W-why did you do that? I thought you were here to help me?"_ He heard the man's last thoughts before he finally passed. Jonathan's head was reared back in ecstacy, before shaking his head and getting his bearings. He looked around, and saw he was in a dark alley of some sort.

"What is this? I was not in a city. Where am I?" He asked himself. He peeked his head out of the alley, and saw he was in a large city of some sort. There were buildings packed together tightly, and it looked like there was a massive mall surrounding at least the neighborhood.

"Perhaps Mr. Dawson got what he wished." He chuckled to himself. But what struck him were the lights. There were lampposts he had never seen before. They were much taller and brighter than the ones in England. They were also pointed at the ground instead of letting their light go everywhere.

He examined himself, and was relieved to see he was still in his suit and trench coat. He still had all of his belongings. His medical bag was filled with an assortment of syringes he had crafted. And, of course, his axe was still with him. But he noticed something else. He felt something in one of his pockets. He searched it, and found a book. It was labeled, "The Guide to Remnant." It opened it, and a note fell out. He picked it up and read it.

_Dear Dr. Reid,_

_I know you must be very confused, but fear not, for my special guide will teach you everything you need to know. Unlike my fellow Watchers, I will not leave you in the dark to fend for yourself, figuratively anyway. I have also provided you with a fake ID and implanted a "history" of you on this world so should anyone investigate you, there would be nothing suspicious. As far as everyone is concerned, you've always been here. Now, I would explain further, but that is what the Guide is for. I will reveal myself to you should I find it necessary, but don't be surprised if I never do._

_Your Watcher,_

_J._

_P.S. There's a Scroll in your other pocket. The Guide will tell you how to use that as well._

Now Jonathan was even more confused. He was in another world? A place called Remnant? That honestly didn't surprise him as much as it should have, he had seen many strange things since his rebirth. But alternate universes? That was most certainly new. He took out this "Scroll" from his other pocket. It was a small piece of metal. He put it back in his pocket, intent on examining it later.

" _I should find somewhere to hide. The sun is about to rise, I can feel it."_ He thought to himself.

He dashed up to the top of a nearby building and looked around. He spotted an old and decrepit building not too far from him. He would use that as his Hideout. He dashed from building to building until he reached the old place. It was dark and crumbling. Using his vampiric senses, he deduced there was nobody home, and he entered.

It smelled of dust rats, but he was used to it. He found an old rocking chair in the corner and sat down. He took out the Guide and began to read.

**3 Hours Later**

Jonathan had no idea how someone could cram so much information into such a small book. But he had finally finished it, and he was astonished. Not only did it contain information about the world, it had information about every new medical advancement they had over London. He was caught up on everything he needed to know, and now he could make a game plan. The sun had risen at this point, and he could hear people walking about outside. He decided to rest until nightfall. He went upstairs, the stairs close to collapsing, and found a bed. He laid down on the stiff mattress and went to sleep.

**The Next Night**

Jonathan awoke without a start this time. He stood up and took out his Scroll. Using the knowledge he gleaned from the book, he activated the Scroll. It was a remarkable piece of technology. A device that allowed you to do a number of things. But what he wanted to do now was look for a job of some sort. A cover, more than anything. There were hospital listings, but Jonathan had grown sick of them ever since Dr. Swansea.

He found another listing for something. It was at Beacon Academy, a Huntsman school. They were planning on implementing Medical Studies for use on the field when they graduate, and were looking for a new teacher to hire. It seemed to be perfect. Staff were given a private office where you could work and sleep, they were provided with food, and they were paid quite a bit. It seemed perfect. He decided to message the attached contact. A Professor Ozpin.

_Good morning or evening, whenever you are reading this,_

_I would like to know if the Medical Studies Professor position is still open. I believe I would be perfect for the job. I am very well rehearsed in medical science and have lots of experience. I would like to meet you in person, if that fits into your schedule. Please respond as soon as it is convenient._

_Sincerely,_

_Dr. Jonathan E. Reid._

_PS. I suffer from a rare skin condition that makes me extremely sensitive to sunlight. Would it be alright to meet at night?_

He hit send, and began the waiting game. As he waited, he looked to see what else this Scroll could do. He searched through it, and discovered it held an archive of more knowledge than he could possibly hope to get through in a short amount of time. It was called the Internet, and it was how people could contact each other across long distances instantaneously. He also pondered on the existence of Faunus, beast-men that were, for all intents and purposes, human aside from a few differences, like animal traits.

Before he could think on them further, he got a message back on his Scroll. It was Professor Ozpin.

_Dr. Reid,_

_The position is still open, and I would like to meet you in my office. Considering your condition, we can meet at 11:00 PM tomorrow, if that works._

_From,_

_Professor Ozpin._

This was excellent news. He quickly responded.

_Professor Ozpin,_

_11:00PM is perfect. I will see you in your office tomorrow._

_Dr. Reid._

This was going far better than he had initially hoped. He was confident in his ability to secure the job, that was not the issue. The issue was coming up with a curriculum. Apparently, the school year wasn't starting for another few months, so he had time. But he'd never taught a class before, so this was an entirely new experience. But he knew he would rise to the challenge. He just had to restrain himself from feeding on any students. Every once in a while he would venture down to the city and feed, but other than that, he would perform his duties as normal.

He looked in a nearby cracked mirror, and saw his reflection. He would have to explain his eyes. But other than that, he was well dressed enough. He decided to sit inside and wait for the next night to come. He didn't want to risk sleeping in.

**A Few Hours Later**

It was finally time. Jonathan double checked his suit one final time before leaving. There were still a few people out and about, and he got a few weird looks from them. He didn't care. If any of them tried anything he would mesmerize them and take them into a back alley, never to be heard from again.

He reached the Bullhead station without issue and boarded the flying machine, sat down, and felt it take off. It was a strange feeling, flying like this, but it didn't bother him. After a few minutes, the Bullhead docked, and he disembarked. There was a woman waiting for him. She was blond with green eyes. She looked like one of the staff. She approached him, and was a little taken aback by his appearance, but she quickly composed herself.

"Are you Dr. Reid?" She questioned. Her voice held an air of authority.

"Yes, and you are?"

"Ms. Goodwitch."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Goodwitch. I presume you are here to show me the way to Professor Ozpin's office?"

"Yes, please follow me." She led him through the Academy. It looked more like a fortress than a school. It was rather impressive. It was very medieval in design. It would be perfect for him. As they walked through the dark and empty halls, they made idle chatter.

"So, why did you insist on meeting at night?" She asked.

"Did Professor Ozpin not tell you? I have a condition that makes me extremely sensitive to sunlight." He answered.

"I see. Well, we'll make sure there are thick curtains in your classroom should Professor Ozpin hire you."

"Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch."

They finally arrived at the elevator leading up to Professor Ozpin's office. He entered by himself, while Ms. Goodwitch waited outside. The elevator rose up and opened, giving access to Ozpin's office. He entered, and was impressed by all the clockwork architecture. He turned his attention to the man at the desk in the middle of the room. His grey hair spoke of age, but his face seemed young. It was strange.

"Good evening Dr. Reid." He stood and stuck his hand out for a handshake.

"Same to you, Professor Ozpin." He accepted the handshake and both men took a seat.

"Please, call me Ozpin." Ozpin started. "I've taken a look at your records. I must say, I'm impressed by what I've seen. You've served in multiple hospitals across Remnant."

"Yes, well I have a knack for human anatomy, you could say."

"I'm already sold on your ability to teach this course, but I have one final question."

"And what would that be, Ozpin?"

"What is your semblance? I have found no record of it." Jonathan had predicted this. He knew just what to say.

"I can control blood in many different ways. Fitting for a doctor, if I do say so myself."

"I would have to agree." Ozpin said, smiling. "Welcome aboard Dr. Reid. Ms. Goodwitch will show you to your office."

"Thank you Ozpin." Jonathan stood up and walked into the elevator. "Have a good night." he said before pressing the button and going down to the ground floor. This was going wonderfully. Now he just had to not get caught feeding every once in a while and he would be fine, as well as not feeding on any annoying students he had, though that would be significantly more difficult.


	2. A Lesson Taught

Jonathan looked around his new office. It was modest, but that was acceptable. He had a desk where he could work on whatever projects he had going, as well as mark schoolwork. There was a bathroom with a shower and some cleaning products. It seemed Ozpin had the foresight to get him some product for his beard. He would have to thank him for that later. There was also a separate room that contained a bed and a dresser. He could work with this.

His classroom was essentially just an operating theater with desks. There was also a frozen storage area where the school kept the frozen cadavers he would use for his demonstrations. Ozpin said they purchased them from a morgue and asked the families about it first, so there was no harm done when acquiring them.

There were still a few months until the school year started, and he already had an idea of what he was going to teach. He wouldn't be teaching advanced medical techniques. That was reserved for medical schools. He would be teaching them how to properly dress a wound should one of their teammates be injured. His class would be mandatory for first years, but optional for the other two grades.

He sat down at his desk and began working on what he would be teaching specifically and at what points.

**A Few Months Later**

Jonathan had finished his curriculum during the first month. One of the perks of not having to sleep. He had gotten himself acquainted with his colleagues. He felt bad for those who had to take Mr. Port's class. He had very good storytelling abilities, and was excellent at placing lessons in his stories, but he could be quite dull. Then there was Dr. Oobleck. He seemed genuinely relieved when Jonathan referred to him as such. The green-haired man was very fast paced, but he was able to keep up without much issue. He hadn't had the chance to meet Ms. Peach yet, but that didn't matter.

The Initiation was to begin in a few hours. He would attend, but he had to use an umbrella to prevent light from getting to him. He left his office and walked down the empty halls until he made it outside. His clothes protected his lower body while his umbrella protected his exposed head and hands. He walked out to the cliff, where the students were lining up to be launched into the Emerald Forest.

He took his place alongside his colleagues as Ozpin was explaining to the students what was going to happen. Eventually, one by one, each of the students were launched into the sea of green. He heard one, a blond boy by the name of Jaune Arc, scream in fear as he was launched. It made him snicker a little.

They each took out their Scrolls to watch the events unfold. Jonathan decided to watch the Arc boy, see how he did. His lack of a landing strategy wasn't good, and for a moment he thought he was going to become a red stain on the ground. Then a spear that looked like Pyhrra's pinned him to a nearby tree by his hood.

" _Impressive aim. Just a little further down and she would've skewered his brain."_ He thought.

When Pyrrha finally reached the boy, she got him down and they talked for a bit. Jonathan grew bored, and started flipping through the cameras to watch the other students. Yang and Blake were battling Grimm, Cardin and another student whom he couldn't remember the name of were cockily strolling through the forest, while Ruby and Weiss were arguing over which way to go. It was quite the show. He dreaded having to teach some of these children, but he took the job, so he couldn't complain.

After a few minutes, he was absentmindedly flipping through cameras. But his attention was torn to what was occurring at the ruins. All of the students had gathered at said ruins and were battling not only a large Deathstalker, but a massive Nevermore as well. He watched with interest as they retreated towards an old bridge. From there, they devised a plan that ended with young Ruby dragging the Nevermore up a cliff face with her scythe and decapitating it. He was truly impressed now. They were extremely skilled in combat.

After the students got back to the rendezvous point, they escorted them back to the school and commenced the team-making process. He chuckled at team RWBY's creation. Something told him that was intentional on Ozpin's part. After that, the students were dismissed, being told to go to their assigned dorms before the teachers went to their classrooms to prepare for the next day's classes.

Jonathan got his paperwork in order, ensuring nothing was missing. He then checked on the freezer to make sure it was cold enough so none of the corpses would rot. Finally, he double checked all his medical tools and supplies to ensure they were in perfect condition. When he was sure everything was ready, he messaged Ozpin informing him of such, then went to sleep to await the next day.

**The Following Morning**

Jonathan awoke to his alarm blaring in his ear. He grabbed his Scroll to turn it off, then got up. He showered and put on his clothes before exiting out into the classroom. Using his vampiric senses, he saw a large group of students approaching the door. They entered, and he counted off the students. He counted 10 students. It seemed team RWBY was late. As the students seated themselves, he addressed them.

"Good morning students. I am Dr. Jonathan Reid, and I will be your Medical Studies teacher. Some of you may not recognize me, and that is because I am new here. I was hired over the summer. This is my first time teaching a class. Do any of you have questions for me?"

One of them, he recognized as being Nora Valkyrie, raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Valkyrie?"

"What's wrong with your eyes?" She asked. It was rather blunt, and her partner, Lie Ren facepalmed. Jonathan chuckled quietly.

"I have a condition that makes me extremely sensitive to sunlight. My eye colour is a side effect of that condition."

"Oh." She responded, a little saddened.

"It's quite alright. Now, if there aren't any other questions, I would like to move on with the first lesson. But before I do, are any of you-" He was cut off when team RWBY burst through the door, panting like dogs.

"Sorry we're late professor!" Ruby shouted.

"Actually, you are right on time for the lesson, Ms. Rose. As I was saying, are any of you squeamish to human organs?" Quite a few students, including all of team RWBY rose their hands. "Well then, the bin is right over there." He pointed to a garbage can in the corner of the room before turning on a projector. "In this class you will be learning about the human body, and how to prevent it from breaking down." Upon saying this, he heard Cardin snicker.

"Is there something you would like to say, Mr. Winchester?" He said, calling him out. Cardin just smirked and leaned back in his seat, propping his feet up on the desk.

"No problem here, teach, but what's the point of learning this crap when we have Aura?"

"Well, Mr. Winchester, imagine you and your team are hunting a group of Grimm. You severely underestimate the danger of these dark beasts, as you no doubt will, and as a result, you or one of your friend's Auras gets shattered, and they are mortally wounded. You are miles away from the nearest town or village, your friend is slowly bleeding out, and you must use what little supplies you have with you to save him." He began to slowly approach the young man's desk.

"But alas, you haven't the faintest idea how to treat such a wound, as you decided to ignore my lessons, and your friend perishes in your arms." He rested his hands on the boy's desk, smiling. "But of course, that would never happen. He wouldn't bleed out." He dropped the smile. "He would be torn to shreds in front of you." He walked back to where he was, Cardin silent.

"If there are no more snide remarks, I would like to continue with the lesson." Nobody said anything.

"Good." he indicated towards the projection, and image of someone's leg with a large cut on it. Now, the first thing you need to know about wounds is how to properly staunch the bleeding and clean the area around the wound. I would recommend one of you become the team medic, as these will require some supplies. Now, the first step is to rinse the wound with clear water to loosen and remove any dirt or debris that might have gotten into it during the scuffle. "He heard pens and pencils moving about as they were taking notes.

"Then you will take a soft washcloth soaked in mild soap and use it to clean around the wound, but be very careful to not get any soap into the wound itself. That would be a very painful mistake. And finally, use tweezers to remove any dirt and debris that is still there after the rinse, but make sure to clean the tweezers before going out on the mission with isopropyl alcohol to reduce the risk of infection." Ms. Rose raised her hand

"Yes, Ms. Rose?"

"Shouldn't we wash our hands before doing all this?"

"That is a good point, Ms. Rose, I'm glad you caught that. The reason I don't tell you to do so is because you will not have the ability to properly wash your hands when out in the field. The best you could do is use a pair of disposable gloves and, like I said, sanitize your tools before leaving for a hunt." The bell rang, signifying the end of this class.

"I would say more, but it seems our time has been cut short. Enjoy the rest of your day, and I will see you again tomorrow." As the students left, he called out.

"Mr. Winchester, could come here a moment?" The boy walked up to him, clearly a little upset.

"I did not want to be harsh on you earlier, but I need you to understand the importance of this class. I have seen far too many young men die because their comrades didn't know how to treat their wounds. So take my lessons to heart, for they will save you and your allies in times of need. You are dismissed." After Mr. Winchester left, Jonathan reset the projector slides and waited for the next class to arrive.


	3. Feeding

Jonathan stalked the streets of Vale from the rooftops, searching for his next victim. He hadn't fed in weeks, and he felt like he was about to snap. So in the cover of night, he snuck out of the Academy, and began his hunt. It felt good to go on the prowl again. There was nothing that could substitute the thrill of the hunt, and the satisfaction of sinking his teeth into his prey. He teleported from rooftop to rooftop, but the night seemed to be peaceful. Annoyingly so.

He felt some relief when he heard a commotion from a nearby alley. It seemed some things never changed, even on a different world. He teleported to a balcony overlooking the alley and giving him a great view of the situation. It looked like a gang deal about to go wrong. There are multiple men, all armed and trying to look tough, and he could practically taste the tension in the air. It looked like the two men negotiating the deal were starting to have an argument, which meant bullets could start flying any second.

He teleported to another balcony, this one right above the group, and he used his Blood Cauldron ability on one of the negotiators. He immediately collapsed and started shaking while his blood started pouring out of every orifice. The blood then started flying to him. People shouted in surprise and they readied their weapons. But they didn't get the chance to use them, as the shaking man suddenly exploded in a wave of blood and bones. Those closest to him were killed instantly, while the others were thrown off their feet and into walls. Nobody would be getting up from that.

Jonathan jumped from the balcony and landed on the hard concrete, though it didn't even phase him. He looked around at the carnage, at the blood, and at the wounded gangsters moaning on the ground. He went through the process of sucking the life out of every one of the survivors, one at a time. By the time he was done, he felt fully rejuvenated. His cue to leave came in the form of police sirens. Someone must have heard the explosion and called the authorities. He checked his watch and saw it was almost morning.

"I should return to Beacon and prepare for the next day." He thought aloud to himself before teleporting to another rooftop and beginning the trek back.

**The Following Morning**

Jonathan was awakened by his alarm blaring through his quarters. He slapped the top of the digital clock to turn it off and began his morning routine. He made his way to the bathroom, looked at himself in the mirror and scowled. He had forgotten to clean the blood from his mouth, and now it had coagulated around his lips and on his teeth. He scrubbed the blood from his mouth with his bare hands and used a toothbrush to clean off his teeth. When he was sure he had thoroughly cleaned up, he undressed and took a quick shower. He cleaned off any dirt and grime that had built up on his body before thoroughly scrubbing his hair and beard.

After spending 15 minutes cleaning himself, he exited the bathroom feeling fully awake. He dressed himself in his suit and trench coat and checked the time on the clock.

"7:30, I still have some time before classes begin."

He walked out into the classroom and began readying everything. The projector was working fine, and the appropriate slides were ready. All the desks were clean thanks to the janitors. And he had the appropriate worksheets placed on each desk. Everything was ready, now all he had to do was wait. He decided to go on the computer on his desk and see what was in the news. He had little doubt that the result of his little outing had attracted some attention.

He found an article from VNN and gave it a read. He was surprised they had images of the scene alongside the article. The article itself simply spoke about a young Ms. Daisy having called the police about an explosion. The following was a summary about the scene itself and ending with the statement that the police had ruled it as gang violence and nothing more. He was relieved to know that nobody suspected him, his cover would last a little longer.

Time seemed to fly by as he continued scrolling through news, ranging from new beauty products to reports on recent White Fang attacks. Next thing he knew, the bell was ringing and he could hear students start to make their way to their classes. After a few more minutes he saw different teams of students enter the classroom, RWBY being the first of them. Soon enough everyone was in class and ready to learn.

"Good morning everyone, I hope all of your nights were restful. Now, today we will be continuing our lessons on how to properly treat a wound, more specifically, broken bones. Get out your textbooks and open to page 38, follow along, and fill in the worksheet. I will be taking them in at the end of the class. They will go towards your grade, but that shouldn't be a problem as you can use the textbook."

He waited a few moments as the students took out their textbooks and flipped to the right page. After a minute, everyone seemed to have found the page and was waiting for him to continue.

"Good, now, a bone fracture is exactly what it sounds like, a broken bone." He clicked his device and the projector turned on, showing the image of someone with a broken arm. The bone was seen to be clearly sticking through the skin, and there was a lot of blood. It made some of the less sturdy students queasy. "Should your Aura break during combat, and it inevitably will at some point in your career, your bones are bound to be next. So, the best way to treat a fracture would be to, first, stop any bleeding in the area. Use whatever clean material you have on hand, whether it be proper bandages or even a piece of your own clothing to staunch the bleeding as best as you can." He waited a few moments as the students wrote down the information in their worksheets. When Pyrrha finished writing, she raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Nikos?"

"What if the injured person is bleeding heavily and we can't stop it?" She questioned.

"In that case, if you can't staunch the wound entirely, you have to at least slow it down as much as possible and retreat or call for aid. Your companion will not last long in that state, and your enemy will not hesitate to use that against you." Pyrrha nodded and continued writing something.

"Next, you must immobilize the injured body part. Unless you know how to apply splints, do _not_ try to realign the bone or push any bone sticking out back in. That will be excruciatingly painful for the wounded person and will do more harm than good.

"After that, apply ice packs to the area to reduce swelling and relieve pain. However, don't apply the ice directly, wrap the pack in a towel, piece of clothing, or some other material before using it.

"And finally, treat for shock. If the person feels faint and is breathing in short, rapid breaths, lay the person down and, if possible, elevate the legs." Jonathan waited for the class to finish writing before he changed the slide, this time showing an array of X-rays showing different types of bone fractures.

"Now, here I will teach you about the different types of fractures, and how to tell the difference between them."

**Later that day**

"Have a good night class, and don't forget to study. There will be a small test next Friday, and I would rather have you all know what to do than not." He bid his last class of the day farewell. After they had left, he went and gathered all the worksheets that had been, at least, partially finished. He took all the papers into his quarters and set them on his desk, which he had moved so it faced the door in case someone came in unexpectedly. He sat down, looked at the small stack of papers, and snarled.

"This is pathetic." He growled. "I have been reduced to a lowly teacher and made to teach children how not to die." He stood up and almost slapped the papers away, but he calmed himself. "But I will persevere." He sat back down and grabbed one of the sheets along with a pen. "This is only temporary, and I will not let something as simple as a teaching job break me. That would be even more pathetic."

He began marking the sheets, looking over the correct answers with silent approval and scolding the incorrect ones with quiet insults. When he got to Cardin's paper, he was most disappointed.

"Not a single correct answer." He scowled as he skimmed through the work. "Either he's doing this to spite me, or he really is that stupid. I'm leaning more towards the latter." He continued marking for another hour. He was surprised by how well some students were doing, specifically Ruby and Pyrrha. They both answered every question correctly. He expected this from Pyrrha, but not Ruby. As he finished, he leaned back in his chair and sat there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. He was snapped out of his thoughts by his Scroll buzzing. He checked the message, and was from Ozpin.

" _I need to have a word with you in my office."_ It said. That was odd. Why did Ozpin want to see him? It must've been a private matter if he didn't send Glynda to fetch him.

" _I'll be up in a moment."_ He responded. He stood from his desk, dusted himself off, and exited his office. As he walked through the hall, he activated his Vampiric senses. He was pleased to see everyone in their dormitories, either chatting or sleeping. As he neared the elevator, he felt like he was being watched. He whipped around, but didn't see anything. Everything was dead silent, before he heard the sound of wings flapping. He tried to locate where the sound was coming from, but he only caught a glimpse of a small black mass flying out of view out of an open window. He shook his head, figuring it was just a bird, and entered the elevator. He hit the button for the top floor, and waited for the elevator to make its journey.

When it did finally reach its destination, the doors opened to reveal Ozpin sitting at his desk with nobody else in his office. He motioned for Jonathan to sit down, and so he did. He sat down, and there was a moment of silence as Ozpin typed something into his computer. When he finished, he turned to face the teacher with a neutral face.

"Dr. Reid, you have been working as the medical teacher for not even a month, and I am already impressed with the results. The students, the ones that have been paying attention anyway, have been taking your teachings in strides, and I do believe you are doing good work here." He praised.

"Thank you, professor Ozpin, I've been doing my best with them, and plan on personally talking to the students falling behind as soon as I get the chance." That was a lie. He had no intention of talking to anybody after Cardin. If they didn't want to listen to him, that was their fault.

Ozpin's face suddenly became stern. "And it is because you have been doing good work that I will give you one chance to explain this recording." He handed Jonthan his Scroll, a video loaded. He hit play, and watched. It was a video taken from a rooftop by an unknown person recording his feeding of the criminals. It left nothing unrecorded, from the moment he used that first victim as a Blood Cauldron, all the way to when the authorities arrived.

Jonathan kept a calm expression as he mentally went over his options of what to do. There was no way he could reason with Ozpin. Killing people was not accepted among Huntsmen, and he was certain Ozpin wouldn't want a murderer for a teacher. He had been discovered and his cover was blown.

There was only one thing he could do. He calmly and slowly stood up, placing the Scroll back on the desk. Ozpin followed suit, though he was tense, like he was ready for a fight. Jonathan looked into his eyes, sighed, then exploded in a wave of shadows, shattering windows and throwing Ozpin and his desk across the room.


	4. A Pillar Shattered

Ozpin hit the wall hard, his head striking the stone with a sickening crack. He had dropped his cane in the blast and in an instant Jonathan was on him, grabbing his shoulder and head, going to bite into his neck. Though Ozpin’s Aura held him back, it felt like his bite was draining it much faster than it should have been. He grabbed Jonathan’s head and tried to pry him off to no avail, as he was clamped on with immense force. When he had called his colleague up here, he had intended to use the footage to blackmail him into aiding him. He hadn’t expected him to become extremely violent. He had also been caught off-guard by the shadow blast and immense strength. He guessed he had been lied to when Jonathan said he could only control blood. His abilities extended far beyond that.

Before long his Aura gave out, and Jonathan’s fanged maw sunk into his flesh. He could feel his blood draining, even as he clawed at the monster in a rare moment of panic. His strength began rapidly failing him as his body was drained and he struggled to breathe. Eventually his eyes glazed over as his world blackened.

Jonathan tore his fangs out of the older man’s neck, immensely satisfied by the high quality blood. He stood there for a moment, allowing himself to be overcome by the euphoria, before he was snapped out of it by the sound of the elevator coming up the shaft. He quickly lept out of the nearest window to escape and hit the roof of one of the dormitories hard, though he was unharmed. He sprinted and went to dash to a different roof, but found himself flying through the air while in his shadow form instead of simply dashing. He was able to quickly gain control and flew to the city silently and at high speeds.

He spotted an abandoned house and, still acting on autopilot, flew in through an open window. There was a single homeless man sitting inside, whose throat was quickly removed to prevent him being discovered. He stood there for a moment, covered in blood as he calmed down and his heart beat slowed. He sat down against a wall, the shadow flight having been extremely exhausting. He figured it was a new ability granted to him by Ozpin’s rich blood. He would test it later, for now he needed to figure out where he was. He looked around the decrepit room. It was sparse of any and all furnishings, containing only a single old couch, a mattress in the corner, and a T.V. against the wall in front of the couch. He stood and went to see if it would turn on, and was not surprised when it didn’t.

As he flopped down on the mattress and let the cool grasp of sleep claim him, Ozpin’s last words before his spirit left his body echoed through the Ekon’s mind.

_ “We will see each other again, Dr. Reid. Mark my words.” _

**The Following Night**

Jonathan stood, leaning against a wall while reading what was on his Scroll. It was a news report about the murder of Headmaster Ozpin, with Glynda Goodwitch taking over as Headmistress. The prime suspect of the brutal murder being Dr. Jonathan Reid. As he read further, it seemed that his impromptu exit had caused quite a stir over at the Academy. He was more well-liked than he had thought, as a few students were defending him, saying that he had not done anything wrong and that whoever did had kidnapped him. The most shocking of these had been Cardin Winchester himself. It made him chuckle lightly at their foolishness.

“So much for staying anonymous, but at least my vampiric nature will remain secret for now.” He said to himself. He figured now would be a good time to test out this new flying ability of his. It had proven itself to be extremely useful, but he had to learn its limits. He looked to the door and decided to try and open it. When it wouldn’t budge, he was relieved, as it was one less way for someone to sneak up on him. He climbed out of the window and up onto the roof once again. He looked over the city, still bustling in certain areas, even at night. He spotted an apartment complex across and down the street, and made that his target practice.

He walked back to the far end of the roof and gave himself a running start. He leapt off the edge and tried shadow dashing, and as expected, he began soaring through the air as a ball of misty darkness, leaving behind a brief trail in the air as he streaked above the concrete at extreme speeds. He hit the roof of the building with more force than he intended and made a loud  _ bang!  _ and resulting in a small spider web of cracks to form where he landed. Sure someone would come investigate, he quickly flew to a different building, using significantly less force when landing. He was surprised by the fact that it didn’t seem to be tiring him out as much as it had when he used it before. He chalked it up to it having been his first time and his body not being used to it.

That’s when he had an idea. He looked to the distance and saw the silhouette of the gargantuan CCT Tower, easily the tallest building in the city, likely in all of Vale as a Kingdom. He began backing up to the edge of the building, never taking his eyes off the tower. After a moment of hesitation, he sprinted forward and leapt off the other side, activating his flight and soaring towards the distant building. It became steadily more and more difficult to remain on course the longer he flew, and he was about to give out when he finally made it to the top. He landed bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

“That’s going to need practice.” He said as he recovered his stamina. He looked over the edge of the tower and was amazed by the view. He could easily see all of the city of Vale. It would be perfect for a new hideout. Going with the idea, he looked for any signs of roof access. And there was. There were multiple hinged hatches along the roof, undoubtedly leading to utility rooms. But there was one that caught his attention. It looked the same as the others, but it was boarded up and looked like it hadn’t been touched in years.

Using his vampiric strength, he ripped the boards from their places and opened the aged hatch. It was pitch black inside, but his night vision regulated that issue. It was a good deal larger than the abandoned apartment he had been using, which was excellent news. There was no ladder, but his abilities, once again, dealt with it. Looking around, the walls and floor were made of bland concrete. There was one other door leading out, but it was boarded up as well. But what interested him the most was the fact that the room was furnished like one of his old London hideouts. There was a bed and a workbench, along with a skeleton leaning back in a chair in front of the workbench. He walked up to the skeleton and examined it. His findings shocked him. The skeleton had lengthened canines and was clutching a rusted sword that had been driven into his chest.

“I’m not the first Ekon to come here.” Jonathan said incredulously. He quickly looked to the bench and saw it was covered in papers, each one of them having the phrase “I must not feed” scribbled over and over and over to the point of filling both sides. A large number of them were splattered with old, crusty blood, likely from the apparent suicide. He looked back at the skeleton, snarling at it before pushing it out of the chair, allowing it the clatter to the hard floor.

“You were too weak to even feed.” He said with disdain. He sat down in the vacant chair and swept away the numerous papers, scattering them to the floor. He began looking through the drawers and was pleased to find it fully stocked with various supplies. He then leaned back in his chair and thought on what his next move would be. His first issue would be blood, but that could be fixed by a quick visit down to the slums.

But he didn’t want to hide here like a mouse from a cat. He wanted to claim power, like a true Ekon should. His first target should, obviously, be the criminal underground. He had heard about one such figurehead, someone named Hei Xiong, Junior. He owned a club in the center of the industrial district. A strange location, but that little tidbit mattered very little. He knew he was an information dealer, but money shouldn’t be an issue.

And so his plan was ready. Dashing back up to the roof, he looked over to the aforementioned industrial district, immediately spotting the lights the club gave off. Jonathan smiled before bursting into a dark cloud, taking flight without even needing a running start.

He landed in a darkened alley across the street from the club, and after feeding on a homeless man, he emerged under a streetlight and crossed the road. As he approached, the bouncer standing there gave him a strange look, but didn’t stop him from entering. When he walked through the doors, he was met by bright flashing lights and strange music he’d never heard before. It was vile, and he wanted nothing more than to tear the throat out of whoever was playing it.

He looked around and saw the man he was looking for, Junior, manning the bar. It surprised him that he didn’t have someone to do that for him. He approached the large man as he had his back turned, cleaning a glass. Jonathan cleared his throat to garner his attention.

Junior sighed and set the glass and rag down before turning to face him. Before he could even get a word in, he froze as he realized who it was. Jonathan could immediately tell he was on guard.

“Good evening, Mr. Xiong.” He said in a friendly tone before using his meserize ability.  _ “May I speak with you in private?”  _ The mesmerize worked perfectly on him.

“Of course.” Junior responded without question. He then proceeded to lead Jonathan to his office, ordering his two bodyguards, who looked like they could have been Huntresses, to guard the door outside. They entered the crime lord’s office, and Jonathan was impressed by the number of decorations lining the walls, though he didn’t give them much attention. Junior sat down at his desk, as Jonathan did the same opposite him.

_ “Tell me about any notable people in the criminal underworld.”  _ He said, getting straight to the point. Junior’s mind was surprisingly weak.

“Roman Torchwick is a prominent thief who operates out of an abandoned warehouse in the dockyard with his partner, Neapolitan. He also works for a woman named Cinder Fall, who seems to have a large amount of power within the White Fang. I don’t know where she operates out of, but if I had to guess, it’d be outside the city.” After giving away the information, Junior went silent, still holding that thousand yard stare.

This Cinder Fall woman sounded powerful, but since he didn’t know where she was, he’d have to go for the next best thing.

“Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Xiong. If you don’t mind, I will be on my way.” With that, Jonathan stood up and exited the room, intent on giving a certain well dressed thief a visit. And if he resisted, he would know the true power an Ekon wielded. Jonathan silently hoped he would resist.


	5. Ulta Ulla

Roman strode to his warehouse office with a little spring in his step. Things had been going remarkably smooth for him and his operations ever since Headmaster Ozpin was killed by that med teacher. Jonathan Reid, his name was. The cops had been too busy trying to track the guy down, they had almost completely stopped trying to find the fashionable thief, leaving him to, for the most part, do whatever he wanted. Neo was off doing something else at the dock, so he was content to relax in his office and smoke a cigar for a bit.

As he entered, he turned the lights on and was surprised to find the window behind his office open, letting the cool night air flow through. He was sure he’d closed it. He didn’t think anything of it, as none of his things seemed to be missing or out of place. He sat down at his desk and opened his drawer to retrieve his box of cigars, but found them to be missing.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you how unhealthy smoking is.” He heard beside him. He whipped around and pointed his cane in the direction of the voice, spotting a figure hidden in the shadowed corner.

“Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?” He immediately ordered, his face hardening. The figure chuckled and stepped out into the light. His jaw dropped as he saw Jonathan Reid, the man who killed the headmaster of Beacon, grinning while holding his cigar box.

“I truly don’t understand the allure of polluting one’s body with toxic fumes.” He clenched his fist, crushing the box and its contents.

“Well that was unnecessary.” Roman snarled. Jonathan saw right through his tough facade, and knew he was frightened. It made sense, anyone that could slay a man as supposedly powerful as Ozpin was worthy of fear. He dropped the crumpled box to the floor and started slowly pacing around the room with his hands behind his back, maintaining eye contact with the thief.

“I’m surprised the cops haven't found you.” Roman remarked, causing Jonathan to chuckle.

“If they are incompetent enough to not have caught you, then their odds of finding me are non-existent.” Not wanting to be here any longer than he had to be, he began to slowly make his way to Roman’s desk. His mesmerize ability had an annoyingly short range, but if he could make it to his desk without inciting him to attack, he’d be golden.

“I have heard many things about you, Mr. Torchwick.” He began, absentmindedly looking to the window. “I have heard that you are the greatest thief on Remnant.” He adjusted the cuff on his coat sleeve. “That you and your young partner Neo have become the scourge of Vale.” He was within range, so he looked in Roman’s eyes and mesmerized him. His face grew a vacant look and he lowered his weapon.  _ “And most of all, that you’ve been working with a mysterious benefactor by the name of Cinder Fall.”  _ He motioned to his seat, all the while sitting down in the one opposite him. “Why don’t you take a seat and tell me everything you know about her?”

He sat down at his desk and put his cane away. “She’s been forcing me and Neo to work with her and the White Fang. We’ve been stealing as much Dust as possible to attack Vale.” Jonathan rubbed his beard a little. So she was forcing them to help the terrorists. That was very interesting, but he doubted Cinder was a mere terrorist.

“How is she forcing you?”

“She has a very powerful fire based Semblance, and could easily kill us both. She could probably take you on and win, despite your victory over Ozpin.” Fire, of course it was fire. If he ended up having to fight her, he’d have to be very careful of that. That confirms his suspicions, this was not someone to be underestimated. She may be a mere mortal, but mortals here are far more powerful than those back home.

“What exactly is this terrorist attack you plan on enacting?”

“There’s an underground city beneath Mountain Glenn with a railway leading directly underneath Vale. We plan on loading up a large train with as much Dust as possible so as to blow open a hole in the city center, along with multiple smaller holes throughout the tunnel to allow Grimm inside.” That was a very clever plan, but other than inspiring fear in the people of Vale, he didn’t quite see the point of this. Again, he doubted she was just a terrorist, but he couldn’t figure out what she was after.

“Does she have any other affiliates I should know about?”

“Her two henchmen, Emerald and Mercury, are with her almost everywhere. Mercury has mechanical legs but no Semblance you should worry about. Emerald, on the other hand, wields dual guns that can change into blades, and her Semblance lets her make people hallucinate whatever she wants.” This venture was turning out to be far more lucrative than he thought it’d be, as this information would allow him to deal with them should it come to that.

“Where is Ms. Fall?” He leaned back a bit.

“She’s in the Mountain Glenn base, but plans on infiltrating Beacon so she can break into the CCT Tower.” Now that brought him to pause. She was going to infiltrate the school itself? Now things were getting interesting. Whenever he found out who the Watcher, J, was, he’d have to find and thank him for bringing excitement into what was a boring existence. There was only one question he had left that needed answering.

“When does she plan on infiltrating the Tower and why?”

“During the school dance while everyone is distracted, though I don’t know why.” Again, very clever. The attack was most likely to serve as a distraction, though he wished he knew what she planned on doing there. With all his questions at least partially answered, Jonathan rose from his seat while adjusting his tie.

“Well, Mr. Torchwick, it was a pleasure. Unfortunately, I cannot risk you interfering in the future, I’m sure you’ll understand.” Jonathan raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. Roman jolted forward as he clutched at his chest with his hand. His eyes went wide and all colour left his face as his heart was crushed.

“You-” He struggled out before collapsing dead. Jonathan rose with a grin on his face and dusted off his coat.

“If only your sweetheart had been here to save you. Alas, she will return to heartbreak.” He chuckled lightly before making his way to the window, opening it and flying out to the city and his hideout.

As he flew above the city, hidden by the dark of night, he wondered what he would do. Since Cinder would be breaking into the Tower he resided in, all he had to do was wait for her. However, the dance she would use as cover was a few months away, so he had much time to wait. He arrived at the roof of the Tower and entered his hideout as silently as ever. He thought back on what he had been told about the White Fang base beneath Mt. Glenn, and wondered if he should pay them a visit. Not openly, of course, but to see what they were up to exactly.

He checked his stock of syringes and was pleased to see he hadn’t used a single one the entire time he’d been here. The lack of any sort of local militia like the Guard of Piwen helped, as well the ability to fly he’d gotten from Ozpin. He also had a full stock of bullets and shells for his Parabellum Pistol and Lupara, in case his ax wasn’t enough. As he looked, he realized the ammunition types the guns used weren’t available anywhere on Remnant, as they used gunpowder, not Dust like every other weapon on this world. Luckily, he had the technical know-how to modify them properly, all he would need was the proper materials.

But those were goals for another time. For now, it was time he paid Ms. Fall a visit. He brought up the map on his Scroll, quickly located the overrun mountain, and immediately spotted a problem. The failed attempt at expansion was quite the distance from Vale, and even if he flew the entire distance, he’d likely drop dead from exhaustion alone. He’d either have to hope there was adequate cover from the sun he could take a break in along the way, or hitch a ride on a Bullhead, neither of which were very reliable options.

“What to do, what to do?” He asked himself. After some contemplation, he figured he might as well begin modifying his weapons. The regular materials, such as the metal, would be easy enough to come by. But one thing he still needed was Dust. And while he figured he could just stop by the local store and steal some, he’d rather make a bit of a bigger mark. And what better way to do so than to steal from the source? He’d heard of a large shipment of Dust coming in via the docks that was currently being left unguarded. It would be perfect to hit.

He double checked to ensure his firearms were loaded before heading back out. He was used to coming and going from his hideouts so frequently in London, so this wasn’t any different. As he flew for what had to be the fourth time tonight, he realized he wasn’t feeling all that exhausted, at least not nearly the same level as when he’d first gotten the ability. That confirmed that it’d mostly been because of how new it was, and he was sure he’d get more used to it with time.

**Meanwhile, with everyone’s favorite cat.**

Blake and Sun laid down on the roof of the warehouse, both keeping a keen eye out for anything suspicious. They had been there for an hour and so far nothing had happened, but Blake had a feeling something would.

“We’ve been here for a while, I don’t think the White Fang are coming.” Sun said, but Blake ignored him. If she waited just a bit longer, maybe-

She stopped when she saw something, and it seemed Sun saw it too.

“What the hell is that?” He asked, his tone more curious than frightened. A ball of barely visible darkness was hurtling towards the ship. If it hadn’t been for their nightvision, she doubted they would’ve seen it. As it went over the ship, it rose in an arch before hitting the ground, creating a small cloud of darkness. And what rose from it made her eyes widen and the colour in her face to drain.

“Professor Reid?!” She whisper-yelled. It was definitely him, he was even wearing the same trench coat and suit he’d always be seen in. After the news broke that Ozpin had been murdered by the doctor, multiple people had said it couldn’t have been possible, and didn’t believe it. One of those people had been Ruby, and she would vehemently argue with anyone who disagreed. That was why it hurt her so much when footage from a hidden camera in Ozpin’s office was leaked to the press, showing Jonathan tearing Ozpin’s throat out with his teeth.

One thing that stood out though was his face. When he was still at Beacon, he’d explained his sickly appearance on a skin condition, but the fact there were now black veins sprouting around his eyes caused her to doubt that. There was something inherently sinister about him, and it put her on edge.

“Wait, Reid?! You mean Jonathan Reid, the old medical teacher who murdered the Headmaster?!” Sun also whisper-yelled. “What the hell is he doing here?” She didn’t answer him as she watched the murderous doctor casually walk across the ship, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the shipping containers like a wealthy noble would an art gallery’s paintings. After he picked one, he grabbed the handles of the locked container and wrenched it open with little effort. That confused her, as she thought his Semblance was control over blood, not super strength. Did he have multiple Semblances or something? He broke open one of the crates and pulled out a Fire Dust crystal. He began observing it closely, and Blake couldn’t wait any longer. He had to pay for what he did, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Ignoring Sun’s pleas to leave, she began stealthily leaping from container to container, getting closer and closer. When she was finally close enough, she leapt down on him with her blades raised, intent on sinking them into his back. Unfortunately, he seemed to have known she was already there, as he turned slightly and looked his eyes with hers, though black orbs making her shudder. Right as she was about to kill him, he seemed to teleport out of the way, leaving behind a trail of black smoke that smelled of death. She broke her fall with a roll and turned to face him, and was surprised to see two weapons in his hands. A large, bloodstained ax in his right hand, and a sawed-off double barrel shotgun in his left.

“Ms. Belladonna, what a pleasant surprise!” He said in that ever polite tone. He was probably using that tone while murdering the Headmaster.

“Why?!” She yelled, her emotions getting to her. He had betrayed them all, and she wanted to know why.

“My dear, I would be more concerned with more…  _ immediate  _ issues.” He said with a grin, indicating to her feet. She looked down and saw a ball of darkness at her feet that looked like it was about to explode. She was able to dodge just in time for it to detonate, but wasn’t expecting him to dash forward and swing his ax horizontally at her. It hit her in the side with more force than she thought and she hit a container, leaving dent in it. As she laid there, dazed from the blow, he slowly strode over to her.

“The reason I killed that foolish old man was because he discovered something he shouldn’t have.” He grinned wider, revealing his wicked sharp canines. Sharp like a predator’s. Sharp like a  _ vampire’s _ . But she thought vampires only existed in legends, but here one was. Before she could stand he surged forward and grabbed her by the throat before dragging her up the container wall until she was off the ground and eye level with him.

“Y-you’re a vampire?” She struggled out, and he responded with a laugh.

“A vampire? No, my dear, I am so much more. I am an Ekon, superior to all, and more powerful than any mortal could ever hope to be.” He opened his mouth to sink his teeth into her neck, but was knocked to the side by something impacting his side. He quickly rose to his feet only to see a young monkey Faunus he didn’t recognize helping his old student to her feet. He dropped his taunting grin in exchange for a scowl.

“Insolent child.” He grumbled before holstering his weapons in exchange for more suited for quick opponents. He replaced his ax with a surgical saw and his Lupara with his Parabellum. He opened fire with a triple burst before dashing forward. They dodged the bullets, but he was able to get a hit off on the blonde kid with his saw, causing him to stumble. He smacked him in the head with the butt of his gun and then shot him in the head with another burst, but had to dodge out of the way when Blake tried to slash his back.

He summoned a Blood Barrier around himself just in time to block a hit from Blake. She continued swinging, but each hit was blocked by the invisible barrier. Finally she was able to break through, but that only caused it to explode, sending her flying. Luckily, Sun had recovered and began attacking Jonathan, allowing her to recover as well. Unfortunately, even with them both attacking, he was far too quick. He would simply dodge their attacks and pepper them with either slashes from his saw or shots from his pistol. They could feel their Auras weakening as the fight went on, but they had some hope when Blake was able to catch the doctor off guard and land a stab at his abdomen. But she was surprised, once again, when instead of hitting his Aura, her blade embedded itself in his gut.

He grunted in pain and rapidly dashed away, taking half of Gambol Shroud with him. He stood looking at them, all of them panting slightly from exertion as they were in the standoff. He looked down at the weapon in his gut and ripped it out, causing blood to spray on the tarmac. Suddenly, the wound began rapidly healing itself, leaving behind nothing but torn clothing and an undoubtedly large scar.

“It would seem my former colleagues have taught you well, Ms. Belladonna, and that I have underestimated the two of you.” He complemented, his polite tone now laced with malice.

“Whatever you say, old man. Supernatural monster or not, you’re going down.” Sun taunted, but Jonathan only chuckled.

“I’m done toying with you, for I have important work to do.” He raised his hand into the air while roaring, and a large black mass suddenly appeared beneath Sun’s feet. From out of the void, four equally black tendrils appeared and stabbed his hands and feet, penetrating his Aura and raising him, screaming, into the air.

“Darkness Incarnate, take this foolish child’s soul for your own!” He yelled before a fifth larger tendril shot out of the vortex and impaled him through the chest. They then disappeared and let his body hit the ground. Blake ran to him to see if he was dead, and was relieved to see the tendril had just barely missed his heart. But he was unconscious and his breathing was dangerously shallow.

She was hit in the side with a Bloodspear and was knocked on her back. He was quickly looming over her and grabbed her by the throat, putting her in the same situation as before. This time he had a scowl on his face and there was blood dripping from his mouth, undoubtedly from his previous wound.

“Enough of this!” He yelled in frustration and sank his teeth into her neck. Before he could drain her though, he felt something impale his back and drag him away from her. He hit the ground but was quickly on his feet and turning around to see who would dare interrupt him for a second time. He was further angered to see the rest of Blake’s team alongside a ginger-haired girl with floating swords surrounding her he didn’t recognize.

After having been interrupted so many times, he snapped. He roared in Rage and vanished before teleporting to each of the girls in rapid succession and clawing at them violently. While his claws were incapable of ignoring Aura the same way his fangs could, he still heavily damaged them and sent them all flying. He used this opportunity to cloak himself in a Shadow Veil and flee the area. He knew he was outmatched in the situation, and was intent on taking out his frustrations on the homeless population, preferably the Faunus. He would kill them, maybe not now, but eventually they will succumb to his power.


	6. Unintended Consequences

Blake stumbled towards her friends while clutching her neck. It was bleeding from the bite that crazy vampire, Reid, had given her, but it wasn’t enough that she should barely be able to walk. She had to warn the others about what he was before they tried to chase after him. They were distracted celebrating their victory, but when Ruby saw her, she shouted something she couldn’t make out and dashed to her, holding her up with Yang’s help. They were shouting things, but she didn’t know what. It sounded like she was underwater, everything was muffled. She was able to faintly make out the wail of sirens before she began to pass out.

Their shouting began to become more frantic before everything went black, and the last thing she saw was the shattered moon high above them.

“Blake!” Ruby screamed as she shook her friend who had gone unconscious. “Blake, wake up!”

“Can’t the ambulance get here any faster?!” Yang shouted, frustrated at the first responders. Weiss put her hand over Blake’s mouth and the colour drained from her face.

“She’s not breathing.” She said in disbelief. Right then the ambulance arrived. The paramedics quickly exited their vehicle and, after convincing Ruby to let go of her teammate, put both her and Sun on stretchers before rolling them into the ambulance. Everything seemed to happen so fast, Ruby ignored what was happening around her as she watched the ambulance speed away, still in shock. She hoped Blake would get through this, but what Weiss said earlier frightened her.

**X-X**

WIth a roar of rage, Jonathan threw the man into the wall, causing a bone to snap and him to spit up blood. The last target of the night for his bloody rampage was a White Fang soldier that had been skulking around in the alleys. He didn’t care why, all he knew was he was alone and vulnerable. The Faunus tried to crawl away, but was stopped when a bloodspear suddenly pierced his hand, pinning it to the concrete. He screamed in pain before looking back at the man who was doing this to him and growling.

“You get a kick out of this, you sick fucking racist?!” He glared at him with his snake eyes and groaned in pain again. Jonathan grinned, his malicious eyes practically glowing in the darkness.

“On the contrary, my friend.” He spoke as he strode towards him at a casual pace, all while straightening the cuffs of his sleeves. “The Faunus are clearly superior to humanity in many ways, and the fact they managed to enslave your race in the past and not vice versa is genuinely baffling to me.” He stopped at the downed soldier before dissipating the bloodspear and rolling him onto his back with his foot. “Unfortunately, that also makes you a far greater threat to me, as your ability to see in the dark is most… annoying.” He said the last word with a darker tone.

Before the Faunus could react, he picked him up and sunk his teeth deep into his neck, to the point he was sure he punctured into the esophagus. He didn’t pay too much attention to the final thoughts of his prey, but did note they were filled with hatred for him and zealtry for the White Fang. He would’ve been a welcomed addition to the Guard of Priwen, had the circumstances been different.

As the high of the hunt wore off, he chided himself for giving into his primal rage. Taking out the anger he harboured towards his former student on those of her kind was childish, though at least he got some good meals out of it. Even if half of them were inedible due to the drugs he could smell actively flowing through their circulatory systems.

He still had some time to wait until this Cinder woman showed herself, and in that time he could track down Blake and her unknown ally. Maybe he would gain a new ability from her blood, since the last, and so far only, time he fed on an Aura-User, he gained the ability to fly. WHy would it be different for her?

But as he flew to his hideout, he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d forgotten something. Something important. Ah, but he could feel the dawn approaching, and he needed to sleep. His musings could wait until the next night. His bed called to him, one of the few mortal comforts he could still enjoy.

**X-X**

Team RWBY, minus Blake, was in their room, completely silent. They had gotten to the hospital not long after the ambulance carrying Blake and Sun had arrived there, and were in the waiting room when the doctor came to deliver the news. Sun was expected to make a full recovery due to the attack only puncturing a hole in his lung small enough for his Aura to heal, given time.

But Blake had died on the way to the hospital. The doctors suspected poison, but they couldn’t be sure what the true cause of death was.

The trip back to Beacon was a tear filled blur. Ruby had long since cried herself to sleep, Yang sharing her fate, while Weiss simply sat on her bed, wallowing in self loathing. While the two sisters didn’t blame her, she blamed herself. If she hadn't acted that way to Blake, then she wouldn’t have run off. Wouldn't have gotten the idea to go to the dock yard. And wouldn’t have met her end at the ends of that wretch, Dr. Reid. She couldn’t bring herself to cry, as she just felt dead inside, aside from the self hatred. And her hatred towards the former medical teacher.

First it had been Headmaster Ozpin, and now her friend, Blake. She laid her head down to sleep, and was met with horrible nightmares, all of which contained those dreaded red and black eyes.

**X-X**

Blake awoke with a jump and a strangled cry. She began panting, and she was unsure of where she was. She looked around, panicking, trying to get a sense of where she was, but everything was just an amalgamation of black, white and grey. She went to get up and fell off of whatever she had been lying on. She and it crashed to the floor, revealing itself to be a medical stretcher. She groaned in pain as she stood on wobbly legs, trying desperately not to fall over again. She saw a door at the other end of the room and hobbled towards it, her necked feet smacking against the cold, concrete floor.

She leaned on the door and grabbed the nob, turning it. That turned to be a mistake, as her weight caused the door to immediately swing open, sending her to the floor again. She looked around and saw she was in a hallway of some sort, but was still too disoriented to make out any details. She was so thirsty, and something deep in her subconscious was telling her all she needed was a drink and she’d be back to normal.

She stumbled through the hall, leaning fully against the left wall as she went, not noticing the blood stains her hands were leaving. She couldn’t find anyone, but that didn’t matter to her. She just needed something to drink.

She came across another door, and wisely chose to not lean on it before twisting the knob. Inside she could see it was a hospital room. An occupied one at that. The person was hooked up to various bits of machinery that she couldn’t discern the use of. But what caught her attention was the person themself. She couldn’t tell if they were male or female, as they were nothing but a black silhouette. Except for the fact that their entire circulatory system was visible in bright red. Their heart pulsed with life, and the sound of it seemed to call to her.

She walked over, leaning on the side of the bed. The person’s head was lying to the side away from her, exposing their neck. Their sweet neck. Slowly, and without thinking, she took hold of their shoulder with her left hand, their head with her right, and using fangs she didn’t remember being there before, sunk her teeth into the unknown person’s jugular. They immediately awoke and began struggling, but their previous wounds must’ve had them already weakened. She could feel their life blood filling her mouth, spilling down her throat. And it was euphoric.

After completely draining them, she fell back on her rear due to the high she was feeling. As she slowly came down, her grin fell, and her relief at her thirst being quenched quickly gave way to horror as she realized what she’d just done. She shot to her feet, and her hands shot to her bloody mouth when she realized who she’d just killed.

It was Sun.

His face was locked in an expression of horror, and his neck oozed what little blood remained in his body. She almost screamed, but then she registered the sound of his heart monitor flatlining. And multiple people running down the hall, shouting. Realizing she had to escape, she quickly gave herself a look over. She was still in her regular clothes she’d been wearing before… before Reid. But they were fairly damaged, and had more than a few blood stains on them. But she didn’t have Gambol Shroud.

She quickly looked to the window next to Sun’s bloodsoaked bed and opened it before jumping out. She hit the ground without any injuries thanks to her Aura and began running. She was in the alley behind the hospital, and just continued running for her life. She looked frantically for anywhere to hide, and found it in an open cellar window to an abandoned looking house. She dove in, closing the old window the most she could, and sat quietly against the wall, listening for any sign of pursuit. When she didn’t hear anything, she relaxed with a sigh of relief. Before tears began to stream down her face as the full reality of what’d happened hit her.

The bastard doctor had accidentally turned her into a vampire during their battle, and in her newborn haze, she’d killed Sun. She began to cry harder as she realized she couldn’t go back to her friends, as everyone thought she was dead. Or, at least, they would until news of Sun’s death and her disappearance got out. She stifled her tears and stood up. She had to figure out where she was, and what to do from here. No, there was no question of what she’d do next. She closed her eyes, wiped away the tears, and reopened them with a fiery determination. She would hunt down Dr. Jonathan Reid and make him pay for what he’d done. For both her, Sun, Ozpin, and whoever else he’d killed to feed his bloodlust.

She looked around the basement and realized it looked more like a medieval dungeon than a basement. It was totally bare apart from a boarded off door leading upstairs, a bed in the far right corner of the wide open room, and an old workbench in the opposite corner, next to the door. Tired, she immediately walked over to the bed, flopped on and fell asleep. She expected to have horrible nightmares, but she experienced nothing.

Nothing but blackness, and a distant calling voice.

**Meanwhile, in an unknown location**

The man sat in his pitch black room, only illuminated by the wall of screens, each displaying the feed of an incorporeal camera. He sat at his desk, his face hidden by a gas mask, and his eyes glued to a particular camera feed. The one displaying the young Blake Belladonna, sleeping in the dilapidated basement. He plopped his head into one of his hands as the other ran through his long black hair, and he sighed in resignation.

“Of course that would happen, god fucking dammit.” He pulled out a distinctly not-Remnant looking phone before dialing in a single digit and waiting for the other person to pick up. This was gonna be a shit show, and he just hoped it wouldn’t be enough to attract the attention of the Overseers.


	7. The Maiden And The Ekon

The man entered the bar late at night, as he usually did in this isolated town in the middle of the Emerald Forest. The place was abandoned, barring the bartender and the lone patron passed out at the corner table. The bartender was wearing the typical uniform and had short brown hair and mutton chops. He sat down at the bar and the tender glanced at him.

“The usual?” He asked, already going for the bottle.

“Yeah.” He responded gruffly, his voice accented and his face hidden under his hood. The tender opened the bottle of honey buck mead and poured a glass. The man picked up the glass as he adjusted his trench coat and downed it in one go. As he did, he looked at the TV mounted on the wall for the patrons to watch. The late night news was on, but the sound was off. He watched, uninterested, as they talked about another White Fang attack on SDC resource convoys. But then they went to the next story. Even though he couldn’t hear what the reporter was saying, there were still headlines saying what’d happened.

_ Beacon Headmaster Ozpin murdered by medical teacher _

That got his attention. He’d never met the Headmaster, but he had to be a tough son of a bitch to be the head of a Huntsman academy. He was about to ask the tender to turn up the volume, but then they pulled a still from security footage that had recorded the crime. And his blood went cold, before beginning to boil.

He recognized him. He knew who he was. The bloodsucking mother fucker was here. Here! As he looked at the picture of Jonathan Reid, the man started clenching the glass so hard it began to crack from his rage. The tender looked at him concerned.

“Geoffrey? You ok?” Right as he said this, he slammed the glass down, shattering it and storming out, hatred rolling off his shoulders. He quickly arrived at his home, but instead of going inside, he immediately went into his garage. Inside, the walls were lined with various tools and boxes, and in the middle was his pickup truck, heavily armoured to the point it could run down even an Ursa. He lowered his hood and snarled, revealing his fangs, a gift from a vampire he hated very much. Not allowing anything to distract him, he opened one of the boxes and took out two things he would need. A custom made wrist-mounted automatic crossbow along with a concealable quiver for the bolts, and a long, one-handed blade, still in its sheath.

He secured the crossbow to his arm and the sword to his hip before climbing into the truck. It had started raining by now, but he didn’t care. He started it up, his face still locked in a snarl before driving off, the door closing automatically behind him. He’d hoped to never see the face of that damned vampire, Jonathan Reid, ever since he was ripped from his world and tossed into another without any sort of explanation. He’d hoped to simply live out the rest of his unholy life moving from place to place, sating his appetite on criminals and outlaws while making some money along the way. But now he had a purpose. He had a goal set in stone for him to accomplish.

On this night, Geoffrey McCullum rejoined the hunt. And while the Guard of Priwen may not be here to help him, he was determined to best his prey alone.

**X**

Quite a few nights later, and the time had come. Despite the Headmaster’s death, the school dance was still going on, and that meant the elusive Cinder Fall would break into the CCT Tower, his home. He exited his hideout into the Tower proper. Using the Shadow Veil, he easily slipped past what few guards there were and descended down to one of the lower floors. It was the main computer room, and would be Ms. Fall’s most likely target considering its large amount of data stored.

He looked out of the large window making up the rear window and observed the path between the Tower and Beacon. Even from here he could still see the lights from the dance, but he didn’t need light. Activating his Vampiric Sight, he focused on the path and the surrounding buildings. And that’s when he spotted her.

He couldn’t distinguish between people when using his Sight, at least not at a distance, but he could tell by the fact they seemed to be sneaking that it was her. He watched her approach until she entered the light of a nearby streetlamp, approaching the guard at the door confidently. She was dressed rather scantily, and that combined with her beauty allowed her to distract the guard, if only just long enough for her to get close enough and stab him in the throat. She hid his body in a nearby bush before seemingly sensing eyes on her. She looked up at him but he’d already backed away, out of her sight. It would be better to keep this as a surprise.

Through his Sight, he was able to watch the lifesigns beneath him. He watched as she moved through the building, expertly eliminating any opposition in her path. As she entered an elevator, eliminating its guards as well, he walked over to a corner and activated his Shadow Veil, completely concealing him from any and all forms of detection. The elevator reached his floor and the door opened, whereupon Cinder exited, an ethereal bow drawn and an arrow nocked.

Upon seeing a lack of threats, a brief look of confusion crossed her features before she shook it off and approached the console. He was about to reveal himself and approach when he heard the elevator door shut and the elevator itself descend. It would seem Cinder noticed as well, as she ducked behind the console. Using his Sight, he looked down and saw a figure below, waiting for the elevator. From this distance he couldn’t make out exactly who it was, but he could tell by their figure they were likely a female student that had followed Cinder.

_ Sloppy.  _ He thought disdainfully. The girl entered the elevator and began her ascent. Halfway up she was within identification range, but he still didn’t recognize her, indicating he hadn’t yet met her, at least not long enough for her to imprint on his memory. She reached the top and the door opened, allowing her to exit. And upon exiting, he recognized her somewhat. Her name was Coco Adel, and while they’d never spoken, he had seen her before. She held the bag at her side in a casual way, but knowing Hunters, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was a weapon of some sort.

“Hello? Anyone here?” She asked, though she looked surprised at the form of her answer. Cinder rose from behind the console, smirking. Coco immediately held her bag in a defensive form, all but confirming his suspicions. He began slowly approaching Coco from behind, so as not to disturb the Veil surrounding him. She hadn’t yet activated her Aura, due to Cinder not posing any obvious threat. That would soon prove to be a fatal mistake.

Cinder smirked at the young girl. She had no idea who she’d just stumbled upon. The plan had been going perfectly so far, and she wouldn’t let this runt take it from her.

“You’re not supposed to be here. Now drop any weapons you might have and-” She was cut off when she suddenly jerked forward and gasped, confusing Cinder. The girl’s eyes went wide and she dropped her bag, her hands going to a spot on her belly. A spot that had a large stab wound and was soaking with blood. Then he revealed himself.

Jonathan appeared behind Coco, a look of indifference on his face. The wound was revealed to be a bonesaw protruding from her abdomen. She tried to look behind her, but he pushed her off his weapon, sending her to the floor. She rolled onto her side as she clutched her fatal wound, blood pooling around her and soaking her clothes. He looked at the blood on his weapon before looking back at Cinder, who had a look of blatant shock on her face. She clearly recognized him.

“Followed by a student, Ms. Fall? I’m sorely disappointed in you.” He chastised before flicking the blood off his saw and onto the floor. Unsurprisingly, she summoned her bow and readied it for fire, though she never went further.

“How do you know who I am?” She said, all semblance of playfulness gone upon realizing she didn’t have the upper hand.

He grinned. “Mr. Torchwick gave me all the information I needed before I had to dispose of him, including your name and your plans. I must say, your plan to commit a bombing right in the heart of Vale using the old underground railway from Mount Glenn is brilliant.” He chuckled at her pulling her bow tighter.

“Oh please, my dear. If I’d wanted you dead,” he dropped his smile. “you wouldn’t have made it to the Tower.” She stared at him for a moment before slowly lowering her bow.

“And what exactly do you hope to gain from the meeting? I doubt you’ve come to gloat.” She questioned him further.

He sheathed his bonesaw and clasped his hands behind his back. “That would be a waste of my time. No, I can see you are a woman of ambition, and I wish to participate in what you plan to do with this fair city. A great change is coming, I can feel it, and I wish to be at the center of it when it occurs.” They were interrupted by whimpering from behind Jonathan, and he turned to see Coco trying to drag herself to the elevator with one hand, the other still clutching her wound, leaving behind a gruesome trail of blood.

“Then let’s kill the girl and leave. Your killing of Ozpin is enough proof of your skills, so I have little reason to not accept your offer.” Cinder said, walking closer to the girl and drawing her bow taut.

“No, a killing would be too simple.” He smiled, a look of pure malice as he neared the bleeding student. It sent a shiver down her spine, though not one entirely of fear. “She shall be a message.” He drew his parabellum and cocked it. “One of the perks of being a trained medical professional,” he aimed the gun, not at her head, but at her lower back, right along her spine. “is knowing the weak points of the human body. “He pulled the trigger, shooting her in the spine. She screamed in pain and started clutching at her back.

“I-I can’t feel my le-legs. I-” She stopped as tears began to stream down her face. “Why can’t I feel my legs?!” She screamed before starting to openly sob. He’d broken her.

“There. She shall be a warning to any others that would attempt to stop us.” He holstered his parabellum and turned back to Cinder.

“But she’s heard you speak my name, and my plan. We should kill her to prevent her from informing the authorities.”

“Her body is full of adrenaline and she’s desperate to escape. Paying attention to what we’re saying is the furthest thing from her mind. Now, shall we depart?” He said, that semi-friendly smile returning. And so they left the building, and unbeknownst to Remnant, a partnership had been forged that would rock the very foundations of this world.


End file.
